Castles in the Sand
by Astharoshe-san
Summary: Gaara's first time to the beach! But when someone stumbles upon him, how will he react? Will they be friends, or will Gaara be too upset to play nice?


Gaara's first time at the beach! While playing in the sand, someone stumbles (literally) upon him. Will they be friends? Or will Gaara be to upset to play nice?

A/N: Let me un-noob myself here...Okay! There's some serious OOC going on here, I think. In this world, Gaara is about 9-10 years old, making Temari 16-17, which is old enough to drive where I live. Kanky would be somewhere in between their ages...Not exactly sure where though. Enjoy, and rate! 3

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"Temari! Temari! Look! There's so much of it!" An excited Gaara squealed, nose pressed up against the window. As he breathed, puffs of warm air blocked his view. Temari looked at the redhead through the rear-view mirror, grinning. She couldn't blame him for being excited, it _was_ his first time to the ocean. The blonde turned her head and glanced at the sleeping form in the seat beside her.

"Hey, Kankuro! Wake up! We're here." She smacked his arm with the back of her hand, startling her younger brother. He jolted awake, looking around him wildly before groaning and sliding back into his seat. He rubbed at his eyes, shooting a glare at his sister. Temari could hit hard, even when she didn't try. Kankuro sat up in his seat and looked over his shoulder at Gaara who was still pressed against the window. Kankuro had seen the ocean many times, but cracked a smile at his younger brother's enthusiasm. Gaara had never been out of their desert home, unlike his siblings, so it was only natural.

"Alright squirt. Calm down." Gaara looked up at his brother, before settling back down in his seat. He squirmed, and tried to lift himself up enough to see out. The water was beautiful, a shade that matched even the clearest sky. The sun was shining down brightly, gently scorching the small sand dunes, though it was more humid than Gaara was used to. It was a perfect day at the beach, at least from what he had heard about beach days. He wiggled in his swim trunks with ill-concealed impatience as Temari pulled the car up to a line of other vehicles and parked. There were many people out, their shapes and forms dotting the beach line and the water. It really was a perfect day.

Gaara hastily unbuckled himself, and hopped out before Temari had even stopped the engine. He ran towards the ocean, feet flying. He heard Temari call out to him, but ignored her. As long as she could see him, there wouldn't be a problem. If it was, she could get angry with him later. But now, now he was at the beach. The _beach!_ Gaara stopped a few yards before the water, just taking in the sight. The ocean stretched over the horizon, it was so different from the desert. The waves rolled along the ocean much like the way a blanket would roll when shook out. It didn't smell like the water Gaara was used to, the ocean smelled like salt and brine. He wrinkled his nose as a breeze brought the scent anew. Gaara leaned down to inspect the sand under his toes. He slid his fingers under the sand, surprised how moist it was even though they were away from the beach.

"Hey...Why don't you go swimming Gaara? We didn't come here for you to look at the sand." Kankuro came up behind him, hands sunk deep into his jacket. He had the hood up, sporting a pair of black ears. The middle sibling hardly ever went without the jacket, though he never explained why. He squinted down at Gaara with a choppy grin before walking towards the salty water. "Come on Gaara. Don't be chicken." He teased the redhead before sloshing through the water until he stood knee-deep.

Gaara frowned at his brother's teasing, but slowly made his way to the water. He toed the blue surface, shivering at how chilly it was. How could Kankuro just walk in like he had? Hairless brows came together as he cautiously continued on. The water swelled around his ankles, seeming to tug him close before pushing him away again. Kankuro laughed at his sibling's face before cupping his hands and splashing Gaara. Gaara marveled at the tiny diamond drops seconds before they hit him. It was cold! With a very girlish cry, Gaara ran back to the shore, glaring at his brother. The boy laughed at his fleeing brother, sending more water his way.

"Stop that Kankuro! He doesn't like it." Temari scolded, looking up from her work. She was busy setting up an umbrella in the sand, and setting out blankets. She plopped down on the blanket and gazed after her siblings. Gaara hurried over to her to escape his brother's splashing. Temari grabbed her brother quickly, and sat him down. She reached behind her and pulled out a tube of sunscreen. She squirted some onto her hand before smearing it over Gaara's already pale skin. Even though they lived in the desert, she wasn't going to take any chances with Gaara getting a sunburn while they while they were out. She didn't want to ruin this experience. Gaara pursed his lips, brows together as Temari slathered the cream on his arms and face. She covered him in a thin white layer before pushing him away gently.

"Go on. Go play in the sand." She told him as she lay back under the umbrella. She donned a pair of shades and sighed. Gaara stared at her for a moment before turning and going to find a spot to play. There were a few other children along the beach, but Gaara avoided them like the plague. Gaara and other kids did not get along well, for some reason he couldn't fathom. Back at home, the kids used to laugh and throw things at him when he tried to play with them. It left it's scars on the redhead, so much that now he did not even try to make friends. He found a good spot next to the water where the sand wasn't too wet. He busied himself with building a castle. He was good with building things, his brother worked with carving and sculpting, and often Gaara picked up on a few things. His brows drew together again as he concentrated.

A little ways away, he noticed a boy chasing after a girl with pink hair. She squealed and dogged the boy, cheering when he tripped. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed. "C'mon Sakura! It's just a kiss!" The blonde-hair boy teased the girl, making a face and wiggling his fingers. "Ya got enuff' cooties for both of us!" He surged to his feet, and made to make a grab for her. She swerved out of the way before landing a smack on the boy's face. "

Gaara watched it all with an apathetic gaze. Somewhere inside, he felt wistful for that sort of connection with other people his age. To joke and tease was something he could only daydream about. He heard footsteps approaching him quickly, and turned around just in time to see a mountain of towels fall onto his head. He yelped, and struggled away. With much flailing and kicking his arms and legs, he pulled himself away to see a second boy his age sprawled across his sand castle. The boy sat up and rubbed his knees before seeming to notice the redhead. Brown eyes widened and he quickly bowed his head.

"Ah! Ah! I-I am s-so sorry! I did not h-hurt you did I?" He spoke quickly, and loudly, but Gaara didn't seem to hear him. He looked past the boy at his sand castle. The towers were left in somewhat muddy piles of ruin, and the rest was beyond recognition. Hands balled at his side, Gaara glared at the boy viciously. The boy, who had looked up when the redhead didn't respond, backed up a little ways from the force of the green-eyed glare. He glanced around him, trying to figure out why the other was glaring so horribly. It was then that he realized he was sitting on a sand castle, and quickly jumped off it.

"O-oh! Was that...your sand castle? I-I am very sorry about it. I can-" He started, but Gaara cut him off.

"You ruined it. You ruined it." He hissed, softly at first, then growing louder until it was a shriller sound. "You ruined it all! Just go away!" Gaara turned away and sat in the sand before burying his head in his arms. Going to the beach was a bad idea. Too many people, the sand was too mushy, and above all, it

was too wet. He muttered under his breath, wishing he could go home. The boy with black hair stared at Gaara for a moment, before sitting a few feet away. He sat cross legged with his fingers wrapped around his ankles, head bowed forward. It was quiet for a long moment aside from the sound of the water rushing against the shore, the obnoxious laughter coming from children playing and the mutterings coming from the pouting redhead.

"I did not mean to ruin it. I can help you make a new one, if you want. We can play together!" One brown eye squinted shut, and a thumb was set out. Had Gaara been looking, he might have been blinded by the white smile that followed. "My name is Lee, by the way. What is yours?" Lee questioned, leaning forward and tipping his head to the side slightly.

Gaara peeked up from his arms, surprised to see the boy still there. He took a moment to really look at him, since he hadn't cared before. Lee was around Gaara's age, he guessed. The youth was the color of melted caramel, and had a shiny black bowl cut. Massive eyebrows were barely concealed under the hair. Lee had the biggest eyes he had ever seen, the color of dark chocolate. He was wearing some sort of green wetsuit, and had bright orange floaters around his arms. It looked ridiculous, now that Gaara thought about it. He lifted his head further as the boy talked, frown still on his face. It was strange to get such an offer, and because Gaara had never been asked to play, he wasn't sure how to respond. Internally, he jumped about and screamed for joy. Someone wanted to play? With him?

"You can watch." He amended quietly, and glanced over at Lee. "I am Gaara." He stood and went back to the remains of his old sand castle. It hadn't been a very good sand castle, but Gaara had spent time on it all the same. He kneeled down, and carefully began removing the dropped towels, clearing the space for his new castle. Lee nodded, and followed Gaara back to the ruins. He collected his towels, shaking them out and folding them once again before seating himself a good couple feet away from the working redhead and focusing on what he was doing. Lee wasn't used to this sort of thing. His friend Naruto was very, very loud and rash. Sakura was obnoxious, and wouldn't ever play in the sand this way. It was strange, and somewhat soothing to the youth to merely sit back and watch the construction. Lee smiled though, whenever Gaara would look up.

"Do you live around here, Gaara?" Lee asked, watching how pale hands molded the damp sand into different shapes. Lee couldn't understand how Gaara could be so pale, and not burn. He himself had been burnt badly before he tanned out. Now he didn't burn as often, or as bad. But Gaara was the color of the whitest sand, and aside from the black around his eyes, had no other marking along his skin. Not even any freckles! Gaara glanced up momentarily before shaking his head. Suddenly he was feeling shy around his new...friend? He approached the word cautiously. He had never had a friend before. The thought made him smile slightly.

"No. I live in the desert. My sister and brother brought me here so I could see the ocean. I've never seen this much water before." Gaara looked back at the water with some distaste. He had decided he liked the land better than the water, but it was still pretty. And breathtaking. He focused back on his work, poking out little holes for windows in the sand with a stick. It was coming along nicely. Lee inched closer, inspecting the growing castle. He brought some more sand around, attempting to ad a second tower.

"In the desert? That is a long ways away from here! I live around the beach with my uncle." Lee smiled brightly. He wiggled his arms slightly, trying to situate his floaters better around his arms. Gaara nodded, curious. He didn't know if he would be able to stay at the beach much longer, much less live there. It was too wet for him, and though it was hot, it was different from the dry heat he was used to in the desert. "Ey' Bushy Brows! You'll never guess what!" A voice, followed by a blonde blur, came from seemingly out of nowhere. Naruto, the loud blond Gaara had seen before was standing over his castle. "Who are you?" He looked at Gaara curiously. He had never been a polite child, and was not about to start now. Lee hurried to introduce them.

"Ah! Naruto, this is Gaara! I accidentally fell on his sandcastle when I was carrying the towels. I'm helping him build a new one! Gaara, this is my friend Naruto." Lee gestured to the mound of sand he was trying to mold into a tower. Naruto stared at the castle with a critical eye. Quickly, he grabbed the stick out of Gaara's hand, and drew something along the side. It was a curly spiral of some sort. He sat back with a pleased look.

"There! Now it really looks good. So anyway, Lee." Naruto turned to his friend, as though he didn't see Gaara. Gaara had gasped when the blond had shown up and started drawing on his castle. He was worried for a moment that it would merely crumble under the boy's clumsy hand. Thankfully, it was still mostly intact. He wasn't sure he could fix the wall and erase the spiral without starting over on the whole thing. That, and it would probably seem rude. Though that was only a second thought. He glared at Naruto's back as he spoke with Lee, irked that he was taking his friend away. Lee smiled at Gaara over Naruto's shoulder before focusing on the blonde.

"Sakura fainted! Yeah! She swears up and down I gave her cooties, but she's loaded with them! If anything, I'm infected! And 'sides, I don't feel sick. Gai says it's because she under hy'rated or somethin. Which is weird, 'cause we're all around water." He spoke quickly, with little break. Blue eyes were wide as though everything he was saying was incredibly important. "So Gai said to come get you, 'cause Sakura wants to go home now. Can you believe it? We jus' got here, too." And as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone again.

Lee peered at the spiral Naruto had drawn before looking up at Gaara. "He is a little strange." He explained to the redhead. Gaara merely nodded, finding that to be acceptable. Lee heaved a sigh before looking to where Naruto had gone. He could see his uncle, with his matching wetsuit and shiny hair, waving him over. Gaara followed his eyes, rubbing them as he thought he was seeing double. It really was like a grown-up version of Lee.

"I suppose I should go. Oh, wait!" Lee paused, finding a small twig with one leaf on it. He stuck it on top of the castle before sitting back to inspect his work. The twig acted like a little green flag on top of the sand. It was cute, almost. Lee wiped his hands together in a sad attempt to remove the grit. He stood up and gave the same pose Gaara had missed earlier. Only this time his smile was brighter. "All Right! I have made a new friend today! It was great meeting you, Gaara! You should come back so we can play again!" Lee waved, before dashing off to join his uncle and friends. Gaara

"Hey Gaara! We gotta go, squirt!" Kankuro came up behind Gaara, taking in the sand castle. "Hey, pretty good lookin' castle there." He commented, before hauling his brother out of the sand. He dragged him back, not noticing how quiet he was being. Gaara had watched Lee sprint away in a green and orange blur. He blinked slowly before following his brother to meet up with Temari. Gaara looked over his shoulder at the castle, but could only see the little leaf sticking up. The rest blended in with the rest of the shore. His cheeks felt warm as he turned away from it. Lee had called Gaara his friend. It made his stomach wiggle and squirm into a warm, mushy mess. As they met up with Temari, who had the umbrella under her arm and a towel wrapped around her, she asked if he had gotten sunburnt.

"I should have put more cream on you, Gaara. Why didn't you remind me, Kankuro?" She sighed exasperated, landing a smack on the hooded boy. He rubbed his arm, grumbling under his breath. Gaara placed a hand to his cheek, feeling how cool his hand was. He was blushing so badly, he must look burnt. He made his way into the back seat of their car slowly, his mind still reeling over the fact that Lee thought he was a friend. They hardly even knew each other! He tangled his hand in his shirt over his heart, feeling the warmth spreading. It felt very, very nice. As Temari and Kankuro got situated in the front, Gaara buckled himself and rolled down the window.

Temari backed up, and turned on the road back to their desert home. After a while, she looked in the rearview mirror at her youngest brother. "So, Gaara? How was it? Did you have fun at the beach?" Gaara stared out the window, but made a humming sound in agreement. Temari shrugged, and looked back at the road. She had hoped he would be more excited, but perhaps her brother was too worn out. She almost missed his words, lost in the sound of the wind going through the car from the window.

"It was...Fun. We should go back again sometime. Soon."


End file.
